The number of road traffic deaths has continued to decrease, according to preliminary data from Statistics Finland.
Last year, 173 people died in accidents on Finnish roads, the lowest number since 1935.
The number of pedestrians and people in private cars who died dropped significantly from the year before. The number of deaths among those travelling in vans and other vehicles increased.
In December, for instance, two of the 12 people who died in motor vehicles were on snowmobiles. One cyclist and two pedestrians were also killed.
Among those who died, 12 were men and three women.
Tougher safety rules in the '70s
According to the Automobile and Touring Club of Finland, 1,110 new cars were sold in 1935, compared with some 88,000 last year.
The darkest year in road traffic was 1972, when there were 1,156 deaths. At that time, there were less than a million registered cars, while now there are more than four million.
After that, traffic fatalities began to drop thanks to the implementation of various safety measures. These included the compulsory use of seat belts beginning in 1975 and a lower general speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour in 1978.
The first driving licences were issued in Finland in 1907. That year brought the first recorded car accident in the country, when a drunk driver struck a light pole at Helsinki's Railway Square.
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.